Trudeau Corporation Joins Forces with BCC to Find Greener Solutions to Fight Food Insecurity

Breakfast programs in Ontario and Quebec have been fortunate to receive a helping hand these past few months to make their operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

In response to the pandemic, a number of workarounds had to be developed to adapt BCC’s menus and serving methods to comply with public health restrictions. These have included an increased reliance on single-serve packaging. With the goal of finding a greener way to address these issues, BCC talked to Trudeau Corporation.

The company generously offered to donate 5,000 Fuel sandwich boxes to 45 schools and organizations in Ontario and Quebec. This initiative reflects efforts in recent years to reduce the carbon footprint of breakfast programs by embracing alternatives to single-use plastic.

Claudine Dessureault, BCC’s National Senior Advisor, Purchasing and Inventory, explains: “When we met with the people at Trudeau, the idea was to find out how they, as makers of a whole range of kitchen supplies, could help us.”

It proved to be a great match and one that is perfectly aligned with BCC’s long-time desire to equip school programs with the tools to make preparing and serving breakfast more efficient.

Teaming up for a more sustainable future

Trudeau Corporation is a leader in the design and development of kitchenware and houseware products, with a history of innovation and excellence that dates back to 1889. They quickly grasped the issues at hand and put forward the idea of using sandwich boxes to meet students’ needs.

It was important that the selected solution not only be reusable but also be easy to clean and child-friendly.

With this pilot project, the company aims to raise public awareness about the work being done by Breakfast Club of Canada and contribute to the cause of children. Trudeau is already involved in health-related issues and this new partnership demonstrates its commitment to food-related organizations.

For example, the company participated in the Bruny Surin Foundation auction, whose mission is to promote the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle for students. Trudeau is also a continued supporter of La Tablée des Chefs and its work to combat food insecurity and improve food literacy among young people. In this sense, the company notes the importance of food for the proper functioning of the body and the growth of children, but also sees an opportunity to learn and be exposed to new experiences.

Putting the environment at the center of decisions

There is still a long way to go in terms of making BCC’s operations even more sustainable, but the organization is definitely green at heart. To achieve these goals will take the ongoing cooperation of school teams, in that fewer disposable products will mean a few more dishes to wash. So both our volunteers and our partners are vital to the success of these initiatives.

Moreover, there is a budgetary barrier faced by BCC as a non-profit organization when it comes to acquiring high-quality products. Although the benefits of switching over are tangible from a waste reduction perspective, the financial challenge remains.

According to Marie-Eve Desrochers, BCC’s Senior Advisor, Corporate Partnerships, “We are having promising discussions with other partners who share our values and put children and the planet first.” The next step will be to make BCC-themed Fuel sandwich boxes available for sale to the public as part of a back-to-school fundraiser. “The proceeds will help us pay for the supplies we need to provide concrete support to schools as they strive to become more sustainability-minded — supplies that would otherwise not be financially feasible. Partners like Trudeau Corporation are the reason we can move forward with solutions like these,” she concluded.